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October 15, 2009 9:10 pm | By Dennis
Perez Says Justice Department Will Attack Gay Discrimination
Tom Perez, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, has celebrated the imminent passage of legislation that will allow the Justice Department to prosecute discrimination against the LGBT community. Pending legislation includes hate crimes legislation…
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October 15, 2009 12:50 am | By Paul Gordon
The “Balls and Strikes” Fraud Continues to Wither Under Scrutiny
The Right regularly attacks progressive judges for "making policy" and "legislating from the bench." But in oral arguments yesterday, the Supreme Court Justices demonstrated yet again that one of their most important roles is to make policy in difficult circumstances…
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October 13, 2009 8:26 pm | By Dennis
National Equality March
Sunday, October 11, 2009 marked Coming Out Day and the National Equality March in Washington DC. The sun was shining but it wasn’t too hot. There was a large crowd of tens of thousands of people who came from near and far…
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October 9, 2009 9:01 pm | By Dennis
Hate Crimes Legislation Passes the House
Last night, the House passed the Department of Defense Authorization bill in a 281 to 146 vote. Attached to the legislation was the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which will expand current hate crimes law…
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October 9, 2009 2:12 pm | By Paul Gordon
Scalia, Empathy, and Crayons
This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Salazar v. Buono, a case involving the display of a cross on top of Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve, which is federal property. (People For the American Way Foundation joined…
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October 8, 2009 4:39 pm | By Dennis
President Obama nominates Judge Chin and Judge Thompson to Court of Appeals
Judge Chin clerked on the Southern District of New York for Judge Henry F. Werker. He was the first Asian-American appointed as a U.S. District Court Judge outside of the Ninth Circuit. Judge Chin is currently the U.S. District Court…
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October 7, 2009 6:29 pm | By Paul Gordon
Roberts and Alito Legislating From the Bench
This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Maryland v. Shatzer, a case involving the constitutional right to counsel during police questioning. The questions asked by the Justices – even the most conservative of them – exposed one of the…
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October 7, 2009 5:56 pm | By Jen Herrick
Hate Crimes Legislation One Step Closer to Becoming Law
Last night, in a 178-234 vote, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act moved one step closer to becoming law. This legislation protects victims of hate crimes based on disability, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity. …
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October 7, 2009 3:57 pm | By Deborah Liu
Church, State, Land Swaps, and the Supreme Court
Today, the Supreme Court is hearing oral argument in the case of Salazar v. Buono, a case involving the display of a cross on top of Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve, which is federal property. A former employee…
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October 6, 2009 9:58 pm | By Marge Baker
Correcting the Court
Exhibit A from last term of the Roberts Court’s conservative judicial activism is the Gross age discrimination case where the Court, in an opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas, reached out to decide an issue that hadn’t been briefed and…
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October 6, 2009 8:09 pm | By Dennis
Marriage Equality Bill Introduced in DC
DC Councilman David Catania introduced a bill on Tuesday that will end discrimination against same sex couples who wish to marry in the nation's capital. The District already recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, but the new proposal will…
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News and AnalysisOctober 6, 2009 3:23 pm | By Paul Gordon
Bob McDonnell and the High Cost of Being a Gay Couple
In Virginia, far right gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell has gotten a lot of attention for his belief that it is the duty of government to punish homosexuality. McDonnell came to mind this weekend when I read a sobering article in…
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October 6, 2009 3:18 pm | By Marge Baker
Hints for the Obama Agenda in the Coming Supreme Court Term
As discussed in a number of previous posts, the Roberts Court has demonstrated its conservative ideological bent, striking down laws passed by Congress and demonstrating a willingness to ignore long-standing precedent. It reached out last term in the Gross age…
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October 5, 2009 5:04 pm | By Drew Courtney
Business at the Court
It's the first Monday in October, and that means another Supreme Court term is upon us. In addition to cases addressing church-state separation and First Amendment protections, the Court will be hearing a load of cases relating to business and…
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October 2, 2009 3:41 pm | By Drew Courtney
Standing Up For Kevin Jennings
The Right Wing smear machine has been in overdrive attacking Kevin Jennings, who heads the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. But the education community is having none of it. The National Association of School Psychologists…
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September 29, 2009 8:44 pm | By Dennis
Rep. Franks calls President Obama “an enemy of humanity”
Recently, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) accused President Obama as being “an enemy of humanity” in a speech at the How to Take Back America Conference. Rep. Franks said:We shouldn't be shocked that he does all these other insane things. A…
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September 18, 2009 10:21 pm | By Josh
Mary Travers, Defender of Democracy and Folk Music Legend, R.I.P.
Mary Travers of the folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary passed away this week. She was a longtime friend, ally, and supporter of People For the American Way and a powerful advocate for justice and equal rights throughout her…
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September 18, 2009 2:57 pm | By Drew Courtney
Obama Nominates First Openly Gay EEOC Commissioner
President Obama recently nominated Chai Feldblum to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She'll be the first openly gay person to hold that post. Feldblum, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, previously served as legislative counsel to the AIDS…
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September 17, 2009 8:20 pm | By Tanya
Happy Constitution Day!
At People For, our mission is to promote and defend constitutional values, so September 17th, Constitution Day, has a special place in our heart. Senator Robert Byrd passed legislation to create Constitution Day in 2004, and we wanted to celebrate…
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September 15, 2009 2:45 pm | By Marge Baker
The Writing is on the Wall
The writing is on the wall. As any number of commentators have suggested, it’s pretty clear that no matter whom the President nominates for the next Supreme Court vacancy, the Republicans and their allies on the far right are going…